I absolutely loved my first experience of reading a Julianna Keyes book.

Big Wild Love Adventure is a similar premise to Love Island, my favourite reality tv show, and it didn’t disappoint.

I enjoyed how diverse all the characters were and how they interacted with each other. Some of which you definitely grew to like or dislike based on there descriptions and actions!

I loved the build up between Emmy and Wes. It was impossible not to want them to get together! I also really enjoyed reading about Emmy’s self-discovery journey and realising her self worth.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun escape from reality.

If you have a love for summer reality TV, this book capture the quirky, eyebrow raising, and heartwarming antics of watching one. It was such a fun read from start to finish and if you are a fan of books with hilarious moments, lovable side characters, and romance-you need to pick this up!

This story following Emmy who, less than a year ago, was left at the alter. She is a talented baker with big dreams but, unfortunately life is hard. Her assistant suggests the way to help her small business is obviously one thing: money! She is a huge fan reality TV and has tried many times to get on one with no success. She suggests to Emmy that is they apply and she gets on, this can be the thing that her business needs, advertising and a cash prize. On a whim, (and with the help of a few drinks) Emmy and her assistant apply for the new show Big Wild Love Adventure. No one is more surprised than Emmy when she gets the call that she made it on the show. Not only does Emmy get a chance to win a cash prize, she also gets a chance at love.


This book was incredible and everything I needed in a summer read! I loved how well developed the side characters were! You really fall in love with everyone and are not wanting them to get voted off like you do when watch a real reality TV show. The show itself was so much fun and always had twists and turns that were sometimes ridiculous and entertaining. There was also meat to the story which I loved. Emmy, and the other characters, had a journey of self discovery throughout the book. Overall this was a wonderful read and I am so happy it was as exciting as the synopsis sounded!

Entertaining for those readers who love/appreciate reality shows

Reading the synopsis I didn't think I'd enjoy this book, it's about a TV reality show and I don't watch them.

Each contestant is individually driven to the edge of the Panamanian jungle and left beside a narrow jungle path which hopefully leads to the competition villa. That's if they survive the trek, not guaranteed when the jungle residents are jaguars and poisonous spiders and snakes. Each contestant is supplied with a back pack of odds and ends, including a bug spray (very necessary) and a crudely hand drawn map to their jungle home. Literally X marks the spot. At that point I was sure I'd hate the book.

The story is amusing and entertaining, in the end I didn't hate it but neither did I love it. Big Wild Love Adventure is well written with a cast of intriguing characters, the challengers are frequently dangerous but nobody dies, or is seriously injured, the end was pleasing.

I would recommend this book for those who watch reality shows.

Thank you Victory Editing and NetGalley for the ARC, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When I first started this book, I wasn't exactly sure if I would like it; reality tv shows are not my thing in real life, so I was a little hesitant. I am so glad I gave this book a chance, because it ended up being one of my favorite books I have read in 2022!

Big Wild Love Adventure follows the story of Emmy, who was jilted at the altar when her fiancé says he can't marry her because he got his mistress pregnant. In the ten months since, she has been pouring everything into her food truck business, which makes one custom designed treat a day. Suffice to say, girl is not thriving. With the loving help of her friend (and alcohol), she decides to sign up to be a contestant on Big Wild Love Adventure, where she could walk away with $250,000. She is surprised to find out she gets picked and ends up going to Panama to compete for the cash prize- and maybe find love.

I am usually not a huge fan of slow burn, because I am impatient and I want to find the characters happy sooner rather than later. I didn't have that impatience with this book, however. I think with it being a reality tv show with challenges, it helped keep things exciting and fresh. I would find myself getting nervous and having to use my hand to keep myself from skipping to the end of the page during eliminations (is this just me? please say it isn't). Julianna Keyes does a great job of flushing out not only the main characters, but the secondary characters, as well. Not only are you enthralled in Emmy and Wes's "will they won't they," you also start really worrying about the secondary characters. You also realize the comradery that must happen behind the scenes of a reality tv show. There is a very sweet scene in the story that truly shows how much everyone has changed within the time they are in Panama, and it left me in a puddle of tears.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone! If you are a fan of slow-burn, adventure, comedy, you will love this book. Even if this usually isn't your cup of tea, I suggest you read it.

I've previously read a romance novel with the reality TV show trope and really enjoyed it but this was definitely fun and fast paced.
A down on her luck woman ended up losing everything and signed up for a wilderness reality TV competition while drunk with her bestie. She actually gets on the show and it's a whirlwind from there! The competition combines physical challenges in the Panama jungle with romantic challenges to try and find 'the one'.
I really enjoyed seeing the character development (or lack thereof for some) and also seeing Emmy's confidence grow through the book. At first I found it difficult to predict who the main love interest would be which made it feel like I was the viewer of this TV show, finding things out while it airs which was really cool. Once everything settled, the competition was really funny and the chemistry between all the characters was really enjoyable. It was unique to see so many happy endings for many as the characters aswell! Seeing life post-TV show was interesting aswell.
I would definitely recommend this book. I really enjoyed it and the writing style of the author kept it exciting.

Thanks NetGalley for the eARC! I really appreciate it.

Emmy gets jilted at the alter and ends up better for it. She owns a food truck that she bakes a dessert of the day, the only problem the truck is falling apart, no money to fix it either. Her assistant decides to fill in an application for a show and before Emmy knows it, she’s being dropped off in her bikini in the jungle.

This is a great summer read, it’s like Love Island, but in the jungle. Quick book to read as you won’t want to stop. Loved reading about Emmy and the other characters. Fabulous book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

I absolutely loved this book, but maybe it's because I love those silly summer reality shows and all the craziness and romance that comes along with it. I read a lot of books and I can usually tell within the first few paragraphs whether I'm going to like a book or not and this one had me from the start. I totally related to all of Emmy's misfortunes and enjoyed how she related her life's up and downs to her reality show appearance. I must say I hope the author writes a spin-off book featuring Tad! He needs more than just a reality spin-off show, haha! Every adventure and contest I was totally invested in. I hated Karly, but that's to be expected and I was totally invested in the friendship between Paige and Emmy. And I can't miss out on talking about the romance.....HOT. I loved how it was slowly evolving throughout. The cooking puns had me rolling too! Where can I find this wardrobe?? It was a great read and I'm so glad I took a chance when I requested it. Thanks so much for allowing me an early advanced copy. I will be buying it when it comes out because I'm sure I will want to read it again one day and share with others!

Review will be posted on Smexybooks.com closer to release date.

Emmy Shaw is having a terrible year. Her fiancé leaves her at the alter - after announcing that he got his girlfriend pregnant - and Emmy has sunk her life savings into a failing food truck. After another professional catastrophe, Emmy is drunkenly persuaded to enter a reality dating show set in the jungle with the potential to win $250,000, and to her own shock, is accepted. The plot is meant to be escapism at its finest - and Julianna Keyes succeeds with this fun take on a reality show romance.

The action really starts when Emmy is struggling to hike alone in the Panama jungle. She eventually finds the other contestants, and most of the book centers around Emmy learning more about who she is and what she wants out of life. This is a reality show, so there are absurd challenges, and some of the contestants are a bit difficult to remember (was Beth the ballet dancer? Do we know anything about Harvey?), which was probably intentional. As she goes through each week paired with a potential romantic partner, Emmy gets to know Wes, a more reserved, handsome contestant, who immediately makes her feel romantic things she hasn’t felt since her terrible would-be wedding day.

I think Julianna Keyes is an underrated and under hyped author. I really loved her book “Going the Distance,” and her female main characters all seem flawed and real. I’m not a huge reality show fan, so some of the challenges seemed a bit silly, but Julianna wrote Emmy in such a way where the reader knows that Emmy finds it ridiculous that she is crying over a couple being voted out of the jungle, and this in-on-the-joke characterization really works for me.

If I could say anything somewhat negative about the book, it’s that I wish we could see a little more into Wes’s personality. He is kind, wealthy and practical - but who else is he? What else does Emmy grow to love about him? And Emmy is fantastic, but she seems to only have one friend in life, and doesn’t seem close to her parents or the rest of her family. I wish we could see a little more of why Emmy is such a loner, even from her own family (who I’m assuming didn’t take the evil ex-fiancé’s side in the split).

Overall this was a charming read. I rooted for Emmy and Wes to find true love on their big adventure. I was swept away in their reality show world, and would definitely read more (maybe a bonus epilogue?) about this couple back in the real world.

Highly recommend for anyone looking for a fun, low-stakes vacation read - especially one that will leave you with a smile on your face.

A-

Romances featuring a reality TV setting are a favorite of mine and this book was so much fun. The bulk of this story is set on a show that's a mash-up of The Bachelor, Love Island, and Survivor, starting off with 16 contestants (8 men and 8 women) who appear to be have been chosen mainly for their photogenic qualities. They are dropped off in the jungle in Panama in swimsuits and have to hike to a villa located in the middle of nowhere, where the bulk of the show will be filmed. Over the course of 5 weeks, they will pair up, split up, "re-pair", compete in various challenges, sometimes for money, sometimes just for fun, and get to know each other and themselves much better and maybe even find their soulmate along the way. All the while, they must survive weekly eliminations, and constant changing of the rules.

The heroine, Emmy, has hit rock bottom in her personal and professional life after an accident destroys her specialty dessert food truck and her reputation is ruined by a vindictive client on social media. This after she was humiliated by her ex and left at the altar just a year ago. After a marathon drinking session, she decides that maybe applying to the Big Wild Love reality TV show, might not be such a bad idea after all. At most, she's hoping for some exposure for her business and maybe a bit of prize money to get back on her feet. The last thing she expects is to form a strong bond with her fellow contestants, rediscover her own inner strength, and best of all, open herself up to new possibilities, and a new love.

This book was so much fun to read. Emmy is practical and down to earth with a core of decency no matter what situation she finds herself in (and she finds herself in some crazy ones). The challenges were entertaining, the guys were all pretty swoony, you could practically feel, hear, and smell the jungle setting, and the relationships between all of the contestants developed organically. Even contestants who were initially unlikeable revealed hidden depths and garnered sympathy by the end and there were no villains or significant backstabbing. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a fun summer read. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Literally, nothing in the world could have made me feel as good as this book did in the middle of exam season. Like, reality tv romance??? Hello???
Honestly, I loved this story, the characters were so sweet but, most of all, the English was so accessible which is something I love since English isn't actually my first language.
This story begins with Emmy who owns a food truck and is completely broke. She desperately needs money to keep her business going and so she submits an application to enter the next reality show, figuring she'd just take on a couple of challenges and when she's made enough money, she'd leave. Wrong. Because she not only is unexpectedly dropped in the middle of nowhere where she is told she'll be staying for a month, she also makes a ton of friends and finds some serious potential suitors (like Wes who has also had his fair share of tragedy).
Needless to say that this was the perfect book I was needing right now so, thank you so much, NetGalley, for the arc in exchange for an honest review!!

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC.

I LOVED this book. It was so much fun! There was a great mix characters and so much going on that there was never a dull moment. The main character, Emmy, was sweet, down to earth and deep down is adventurous and fun.
I enjoyed everything about this book. It was easy to read and despite having all the predictable moments that all romcoms have, there was a wonderful surprise at the end, which you’ll have to read to find out what it is!

If you are a fan of reality tv, likeable characters, tragic pasts and romance then this book is definitely a must read!

QOTD: Would you ever compete on a reality show?
My A: No way! 😅
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I LOVED this book! This was fun, fast paced and fresh. This is the second game show romance I've read in the past month and I'm quickly learning I love them. I read a bachelor themed book last winter and didn't love it, but apparently if you throw in a little action and competition, I'm hooked!
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I thought this was the perfect mix of flirty fun and heated competition. I could picture the setting perfectly, the games easy to understand and the show not taking over the plot while still remaining in focus. There were a few characters that will take you by surprise and I loved the twists the production company threw at the competerters. All in all, a fantastic book that I HIGHLY recommend you pack in your pool bag this summer!
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BLURB:
After being ditched at the altar, Emmy Shaw’s heart, like her dented food truck, is definitely not open for business. Deeply in debt to her parents and evicted from her apartment, she takes a friend’s drunken dare and fills out an application for a new dating-adventure reality show. She never expects to be chosen—or to get a chance at the show’s huge cash prize, which could put her life back on track.

But when she’s abandoned in the middle of the jungle two months later wearing only a bathing suit and a backpack, she questions if being on the show might be even worse than the #emmytrashtruck hate brigade she left back home. Then she meets her fellow cast members—including sexy, inscrutable Wes—and starts to reconsider, wondering if maybe money’s not all she stands to gain from this experience.

After a year of abysmal failures, this summer of cave treks, jungle hikes, impromptu talent shows, and a sexy flirtmance turns out to be just the thing to help Emmy rebuild her shattered confidence. She signed up for the show to hide from the mess her life had become, but this escape from reality might be just what she needs to find herself.

As a big time reality TV fan, I couldn’t wait to jump into this book. Get ready for some fun with Survivor meets the Bachelor/Bachelorette!
Our heroine Emmy owns a food truck business that is failing and she fills out an application to join a reality TV show (while under the influence) to not only try to win money to save her business but to go on a big wild love adventure.
She doesn’t plan to be dropped off in the middle of nowhere to find where she will be staying over the next month, she doesn’t plan on meeting real friends that she ends up really caring about and let’s not even talk about her different suitors she’s meant to get to know each week (both on a purely platonic basis and maybe something more) that will keep you on the edge of your seat wanting her to find her love match.
Emmy has trust issues because of her past, she works hard and never has time to live life, to have fun, and to find her confidence in herself and her choices so this big wild love adventure is just what she needs at just the right time.
Readers looking for a fun beach read with hilarious characters and a heroine who finds the unexpected in a crazy situation should pick up this book. I had a smile on my face the whole read through!

I had a lot of fun reading this book! It’s an adventure packed feel-good story about learning to put yourself out there and take on every new challenge as they come.

The setting backdrop of a romantic reality-series set in the Panamanian rainforest provides the perfect environment for challenges and scenarios that naturally progresses the story. The interactions felt very natural, and I love the wonderful friendships that evolved over the story. I was pleasantly surprised that the girls, and guys, were very close to each other instead of constantly having cat fights. With a reality-series setting you’ll never know. It also features multiple swoon-worthy romances, so it’s free picking what couple will become your favourite.

The main character Emmy is a classic underdog character, and it works so well. Yes, it’s cheesy and very expected that her life will do a positive 180. But isn’t that the point of reading rom-coms? To cheer on the main character and hoping she’ll end up with the perfect guy after being burnt by love? I rest my case.

It’s a quick and fun read, that put me in a good mood and made me want an adventure of my own. A perfect beach read!

This book is like love island but with amazing race like challenges. I enjoyed Emmy's personal journey but I think the author could have gone a little deeper into it. I also think this could have benefitted from being dual pov.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Thank you NetGalley!

I'm not typically a reality tv fan, but this book was so much fun! The challenges had me wishing it was a show I could watch! I appreciated that for the most part everyone was friends and became kind of a family.
That ending! Perfect! So perfect!
I would love a sequel! Tad!?! (he was my fav secondary character-he was so intriguing...so extreme at times and wild, but then a solid, nice guy. Yes, I would totally read his book!)

Big Wild Love Adventure follows Emmy who was ditched at the altar. She is heartbroken, in debt, and her food truck has a dent in it. So she is just ready for a change and some good luck. One day on a drunken dare she applies for a reality show and gets accepted for it. Two months later she is abandoned in the middle of the jungle. She is not sure if she wants to be on the show but she tries to make the best of it and get her confidence back. Also, it is an easy way for her to make money. Emmy is determined not to fall in love with anyone but, then Wes comes along and fate may have other plans. 

This book is like Survivor and the bachelor ( I have never seen the bachelor... so I might be wrong). I overall really enjoyed this one. I thought this was a really cute story. I loved all the challenges and how each contestant was fighting for more than just money. I loved how this book seemed like a reality show. I think this is also a really good summer read. If you are looking for a cute romance book with a twist I would highly suggest this one. Thank you so much Netgalley and Juliana Keyes for the ARC of this one.

So this is the sort of book you would enjoy if you a fan of reality tv shows as this one by Julianna keys is a mix of love island, I'm a celebrity and also ex on the beach. I'm not a big fan of these which is why I struggled to fully enjoy the concept of the book. 
 
 
Emmys life go to bad to even worse, she applies to go on Big wild love adventure. Once arriving, Ther she meets Wes and the other contestants where there is competition for love and also enough money to help Emmy out of Financial ruin and also make her dreams come true. I did enjoy watching the other characters meet the one and watch them also completely clash at the same time.  
 
If your a big fan of reality tv then this book will be perfect for you if you looking for a good summer romance. For me I didn't overally enjoy the concept but it may be perfect you.  
 
3 and half stars

When Emmy’s life falls apart in more areas than one, a drunken application to a new reality dating show seems like a good idea. What better way to win some cash, get business PR, and maybe a little action, than a reality TV show? The last thing Emmy expected was to be asked to be a contestant, let alone make it past the first episode.
Emmy’s journey with her cast mates of Big Wild Love Adventure was nothing short of hilarious. Emmy finds so much comfort in having her problems disappear for a while, that she actually starts to love it on BWLA. Her story of new friends, new relationships, the challenges of the wild, and self perseverance were written beautifully and wonderfully, and as I came to the end of this book, I wanted nothing more than all of the characters I loved to be happy. Did that happen? I guess you’ll have to read to find out!
Well done Julianna Keyes!

"When he's close, I find those dreams morphing to make room for something else, something I didn't think I wanted to feel again, something I didn't think I was ready for."

Ditched at the alter, business disaster, bad reviews, and evicted, Emmy Shaw has nowhere to go but up. A few drinks, and some convincing from her friend, Emmy has entered to be a part of a new reality TV show called Bild Wild Love Adventure. Only thing is, Emmy never expected to be picked. But it's impossible to turn down a chance at winning thousands when you're deep in debt and living in your parents basement.

After making it through the jungle in nothing but a bathing suit, Emmy arrives at the villa and is just along for the ride, hopefully making enough to pay back her parents, but not expecting or hoping for more. Between all the challenges, recouplings, and emotional rollercoasters, Emmy really didn't imagine she'd fall for anyone or make connections the way she did while on BWLA. While we were rooting for the people in the villa, so was Emmy. She was forming real friendships with them and seeing something worth working for, besides the money.

Emmy and Wes, both with their fair share of personal issues, manage to make a real go of things together, but have to deal with the reality that awaits them both on the outside.

This book is PERFECT if you're a fan of Love Island and/or Survivor. I just finished binge-watching season 5 of Love Island UK and was feeling the show hangover, but this book was exactly what I needed. I not only fell in love with Emmy and Wes, but the other contestants in BWLA too. It was exactly what you want any reality competition show to be. The book was filled with crazy challenges, big romantic connections, and hilarious experiences between the people in the villa.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing, and Julianna Keyes for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

↠ 4.75 stars